CAPITAL CULTURE: White House chefs embrace fame

FILE- This file photo provided courtesy of the Food Network shows Alton Brown, from left, talking with chef team, Bobby Flay and Cristeta Comerford, at the judging table in the Kitchen Stadium at the Food Network studio in New York. Comerford, the White House chef, paired with Flay to win the "Iron Chef America" battle over the team of chefs Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali. Other judges are Nigella Lawson, actress and artist Jane Seymore, right. (AP Photo/Food Network, FILE) NO SALES
— AP

FILE- This file photo provided courtesy of the Food Network shows Alton Brown, from left, talking with chef team, Bobby Flay and Cristeta Comerford, at the judging table in the Kitchen Stadium at the Food Network studio in New York. Comerford, the White House chef, paired with Flay to win the "Iron Chef America" battle over the team of chefs Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali. Other judges are Nigella Lawson, actress and artist Jane Seymore, right. (AP Photo/Food Network, FILE) NO SALES
/ AP

At high-profile state dinners, guests are more likely to remember famous diners they met than the menu, he said. And the White House isn't a hotel or a restaurant; it's about day-to-day family cooking. "I'll submit that how you cook the first lady's oatmeal in the morning has got more to do with how long you'll stay," he said.

In their appearances, White House chefs have stayed on message. "Biggest Loser" contestants got a tasty salad from the White House garden. And for the "Iron Chef" appearance in January, Mrs. Obama unveiled the "secret ingredient" (a staple of the cooking competition) to be anything from that same garden. Comerford and Flay beat chefs Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse with a vegetable-intensive menu that included a sweet potato dessert.

For his appearance on "Top Chef," Kass helped assess how well contestants did at preparing nutritious and appealing school lunches.

The White House also has enlisted outside chefs to the cause.

In June, more than 500 chefs gathered on the South Lawn of the White House to get involved in the Let's Move campaign by joining the Chefs Move to Schools program, run through the USDA.

Chefs in the program adopt a school in their community and work with teachers, parents and school officials to improve nutrition.

Whether Americans will actually eat better is hard to say, but getting chefs involved around the country is a positive move, said Cowin. "There's nothing like feeling good about something you're doing because you've got support from the leader of the Free World," she said.